AltDimension Neptunia
by Ghost 501
Summary: A goddess trying to remain in the dark. A goddess trying to return to the world. A goddess trying to drown the world in darkness. A goddess trying to figure out who the hell she is. Welcome to the world of Gamindustri a world waiting for war to break. ...Or not. ...Perhaps this summary is just a little too full of itself. (Status: Will be resumed...)
1. Prologue

It was fairly safe to say that Neptune worried her. She worried Histoire a lot.

The blonde haired being watched nervously as the lavender haired girl began tying her shoelaces and prepared to go out on yet another quest...more specifically her sixth S Rank one. Even for a goddess, taking on several of the most difficult missions in the span of two days was a lot to handle.

"Neptune, maybe you should consider taking IF with you today," She suggested. Deep down though, she knew her words would fail to persuade her. Neptune knew her role as Planeptune's CPU well. Protect the land. Help the people. It was a mantra she had done for years.

Neptune shook her head, "Nope, no can do. She's probably really busy; the Guild is already swamped with hunt requests. Besides, it's just a couple of Ancient Dragons. I'll be done with them in no time." She stated as she got up from the carpeted floor and prepared to head out for yet another time.

"Even a CPU has her limits. Your shares are not nearly high enough for you to keep up this reckless behavior and..." Histoire paused. Despite being Planeptune's Oracle, second only to the CPUs in terms of governmental power, she had become much more than Neptune's advisor over her reign.

Just like the CPU before her...

The lavender haired CPU gave a playful shrug and smiled at her fairy like friend, "I'll be fine, Histoire. I know what I'm doing." The grin faded as she headed for the exit of the small living room area, "I'm taking my N-gear so let me know if anything major happens before I get back."

The blonde haired being could only nod, sighing as the CPU left.

 _'She seemed so tired…'_

Even though only a few minutes had passed since Neptune left, Histoire shook her head. No. Not anymore. She couldn't let her go alone. The Planeptunian Oracle pulled out phone from her pocket and started dialing, "Hello IF, it's Histoire…"

* * *

Gamindustri.

This world is made of four countries: Planeptune, Lastation, Leanbox, and Lowee. Each land is ruled by a goddess, otherwise known as a CPU. Respectively, these deities are known as Purple Heart, Black Heart, Green Heart, and White Heart.

The four countries compete with each other over an energy source called Shares, which are produced by the faith of the people in their respective goddess. The stronger their belief, the stronger their goddess is. However, due to a finite number of people in the world and thus a definitive amount of shares in the world, the CPUs have been locked in a battle known to all as the Console War since their birth.

In the beginning of the current age, each land was combative and feuded with the other over shares.

Now, things are more...tense. While no country has declared war in a few years, the boundaries have been drawn and the damage done. Treaties have been signed. Blood has been shed. And the memories of the past are firmly in the minds of all.

And despite the dust settling, the world still waits for the next signs of smoke.

* * *

"Cross Combination!" Purple Heart yelled as she brought down her sword on the last of the dragons. The beast gave a pitiful roar before dying in a flurry of pixels.

The CPU of the Land of Purple Progress gave a heavy sigh, "That appears to be the last one." She gasped as she wave a of exhaustion hit her. Before she knew it, a flash of light surrounded the area as the Goddess returned to her human form.

Neptune landed on the ground softly. She pulled out a small pink and purple, flat oval shaped device that her sister affectionately called the N-Gear from her pocket. Only an hour had passed since she started the quest and she had already reached her limit. Her time had decreased again.

She shook her head. Then again, having only five percent (and refusing three percent of that for her sister's sake) of the world's shares would do that to a CPU. "At least the quest is done…" She murmured before turning to leave the dungeon.

As she started down the path to exit Virtua Forest, a low growl caused her to freeze. Neptune turned and barely had time to jump out of a massive claw. As it impacted the ground, the creature's other "hand" swung out and slammed into the girl, sending her flying hard into the trees.

She crashed head first into the hard trunk. Luckily, being a goddess had its perks. She groaned as she rubbed her head. Even in her human form, she could easily take a hit decently well. However, that didn't mean that taking damage didn't hurt.

She turned her attention to the remaining ancient dragon as it gave a mighty roar. Neptune summoned her katana; the blade appearing out of a flurry of pixels. The girl was still out of gas from the last onslaught, making her CPU form unavailable. She gripped her sword's handle.

Almost as if something (or someone) had the worst timing in the world, a dark orb appeared in front of the Ancient Dragon. Data flowed out of it, surrounding the beast and blackening its orange scales. As the sphere faded, it opened its yellow eyes are gave another loud roar.

"Really…" The lavender haired girl mumbled as the beast changed and turned into a Viral Ancient Dragon. If she squinted, she could swear that it was smirking at her.

She stared down the beast. Trying to find a way to escape would be best, but she couldn't just leave this thing for someone else to deal with. For someone else to get hurt by. _For her to get hurt. She'll get hurt. You'll fail her ag-_

Neptune shook her head, blocking out the thoughts before they could manifest. No...no, she wouldn't allow it. Not again. Never again. Her purple eyes flashed dangerously. This monster was going down even if she had to give it more than her all!

The dragon growled in delight, probably thinking that it had an easy kill since she hadn't moved since being tossed aside. However, Neptune wasn't a CPU for nothing. Raising her hand up, she focused the little share energy she had left in her system to the sky. Above her, a giant dark blue sword of digital data formed.

"Eat this! 32 Bit Mega Blade!" Neptune yelled, launching the attack.

The dragon snorted before swiping at the oncoming sword with its claw. It howled in pain as the digital blade ripped past it and embedded itself into its body. Digital pixels started to fly from its wound as it thrashed wildly, trying desperately to rip it out of its body. While it did so, its eyes locked with the purple ones of the CPU's.

Neptune barely blinked before the thing charged her. Spinning on its foot, it slammed the purple haired goddess with its mighty tail.

As she crashed onto the ground, her head was spinning. She looked around dazed for a moment before she was forced back onto the ground. by the large creature's foot. She could see spots in her vision; the increasing pressure forcing the air out of her lungs wasn't helping her stay conscious. It was times like these where she wished she didn't need to turn back into this. Despite being stronger than the actual thing, these human forms were so much weaker than their CPU ones. However share consumption and all prevent them from staying in their goddess states for an indefinite amount of time.

Her vision blurred. She couldn't make any room for herself. The pressure wasn't increasing; the dragon's form began to flicker. In fact, it was beginning to disappear entirely, fading in and out. Though it was enough to get a tiny bit of air, the returning weight pushed it right back out. Her attack probably landed in a sweet spot, making it a one hit kill. However, even as it was dying, disappearing into pixels, it continued its quest to kill the CPU.

Again, she tried desperately to get at least an inch to breathe to no avail. She only needed a few more seconds!

Before the blackout set in, Neptune heard the sound of another loud roar as the pressure lifted. She was only able to able to get a large gulp of air before the dragon's foot came down on her again.

Despite the strike being significantly weaker, the lavender haired girl was done, completely exhausted from working overtime. As her eyes fluttered shut and the creature disappeared into a flurry of data, she could faintly her the sound of someone calling her name. When that didn't get her fading consciousness's attention, the person started to drag her away. She didn't even have enough energy to fight back.

Then...there was darkness.

* * *

"Hey…I think she's waking up!" a cheery voice said before she started to hear the sound of rushing footsteps.

Neptune's eyelids opened gently, trying to filter as much light as possible, "Ugghhh…what happened to me?" She moaned as she tried to take in her surroundings through squinted eyes. She could feel her head ache as she dared to open her eyes wider.

After a few moments, she was able to properly see her environment. It was an orange room with two other girls and…

The lavender haired girl closed her purple eyes and opened them once again. Nope, not a dream. There was definitely a fairy floating on a book in front of her.

Said being wore a simple purple dress with a rather large white hat with a 'N' on it. Her blonde hair went down to her shoulders. She had two blue wings on her back that seemed to be composed of blue-pinkish triangles. However, she didn't seem to use them to hover in the air which apparently her book was used for. Her blue eyes looked at her with concern.

"Good grief, Nep. Could you try not to scare us like that?" One of the girls said. She sounded like she was being sarcastic, but seemed just more relieved that she was up. The girl had brown hair with a leafy green bow in it that went about to middle of her back and wore a short black one piece with an 'i' on it that ended at about mid thigh.

The fairy like being breathed a sigh of relief, "You had us worried that you wouldn't wake up. I can only hope now that you will take some time to recover properly." She said in a proper, but yet adorable fashion.

"Don't worry, Histoire. I'll make sure Nep-Nep stays put in bed until she's better." The other girl said. Neptune wasn't sure why – perhaps it was that overly large syringe in the corner of the room – but had the feeling that she shouldn't test this one's patience. This girl wore a whitish armless sweater with sleeves in the same color and a short red skirt. In her orangish hair was a hairband with a 'C' on it. Her orange eyes watched her carefully as if the purple haired girl in question would suddenly flee, although her smile said otherwise.

Neptune bit her lip. The three seemed so happy to see her awake. But...

"Um, hey..." She started. It wouldn't be fair to them to keep leading them on, "I appreciate the concern and all but…who the heck are you guys?"

A moment passed.

The brunette was the first to react. She chuckled nervously, looking at the purplette with her emerald eyes, "Haha. Very funny. Even by your standards that's a pretty sad joke, Nep."

The lavender haired girl shook her head, "I'm...I'm not lying. I don't know who any of you are." She sighed looking down at the purple sheet on the bed, "I don't know where I am. I don't even know who I am! And to be completely honest," She brought her head up and pointed at an object, "The scariest thing I don't know is why that giant syringe is in the corner?!" Seriously could a person actually lift that thing? What the hell needed an injection that large?! Wait...they didn't poke that thing into her while she was out did they?!

Histoire looked back at the brunette, "IF, you said she had been slammed to the ground?" Histoire asked as the sweater wearing girl seemed to look over her, specifically around her head.

IF nodded, her face was beginning to pale, "Yeah...you don't think that..."

The blonde haired being grimaced, "It would appear that I do. A head injury coupled with her lack of shares..." She trailed off in a mumble before become audible again, "I suppose I should be happy that the quest was cleared but..." She turned to the purplette, "I'm sorry. I suppose you don't know what's going on do you?"

The girl shook her head, "Not really. Kind of a blank slate here."

Histoire sighed, "Compa, IF could you excuse us? I should probably inform Neptune as to what is happening. And please don't tell Nepgear yet. We can't keep this secret forever, but I'd like to assess the situation before we tell her."

The two nodded. As they left silently, Histoire took a breath, "Well…just where to begin?"

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Histoire let out a long, patient sigh.

This amnesiac Neptune certainly wasn't the same as her Neptune. This one could barely make it through her talk without falling asleep and she wasn't even trying to lecture her! Though it was quickly becoming one.

At first, she had been worried that she had been suffering even more serious repercussions of her injuries. Even though CPUs recovered significantly faster than humans, she was still working with a small amount of shares. However, it was soon becoming obvious that it wasn't some kind of side effect, but rather a new personality difference. Even after this extra abbreviated version, the fairy like construct wasn't sure if Neptune even grabbed a quarter of what she had said.

Histoire looked back at the purple haired girl, who was once again falling asleep to escape an, as she put it, 'obvious exposition speech', "Neptune!" She practically screeched, for the first time in a long while.

"AHHH!" The purplette yelled, waking right up.

The blonde haired Oracle took a breath. _'She has no memory. Just breathe. This isn't her fault.'_ "Do you understand the state of affairs now?"

Neptune merely stared blankly at her.

Histoire facepalmed. She knew having their goddess's memory gone was going to be a painful experience. She just never considered that it would be a much different kind of torture.

The fairy like being looked to the bandages around the lavender haired girl's head. She supposed it would be irrational to think that she could've stop this. Living in the past was never a good idea. Still, she couldn't help but think as Neptune's Oracle that she should've be able to convince her to take IF with her. After all, she knew her mindset better than many people and she still let her go. Now...well...she had just lost Neptune and gotten her replaced now with another one, didn't she?

The thought honestly saddened her.

The sound of Neptune giggling tore her from her depressed mind, "Relax, Histy. I pretty much got it. Me and Nepgear are the goddesses of this country. Our ally is Lowee. Lastation and Leanbox hate our guts. And we're pretty much on our last legs. It's all pretty standard RPG storyline to be honest. You know, when the author called this a reboot series, I was at least expecting a revolution to be going on. But I guess this type of story has its perks too."

Now it was Histoire's turn to be stunned. The girl had gathered more info the she thought she would have. "I'll take that as a victory." She decided before looking at the time, "Well...I suppose that'll be it for the night. I'll leave you to get some rest."

"Okay, thanks Histy." Neptune said as she tucked herself in and quickly fell asleep.

"Histy?" Histoire asked, turning around to look into her purple eyes.

Neptune nodded, "It's a lot cuter than calling you Histoire all the time."

"I see." Histoire turned her head. A nickname? She didn't know why, but she didn't feel opposed to it. She was certain it was the first time she had received a nickname and it yet the concept didn't feel that foreign to her. Additionally, whether she liked it or not, there was a chance her Neptune would never return.

She smiled faintly, "Very well. Have a good night, Neptune." She wasn't one for the shortening of names herself, but perhaps this would be the start of a new relationship. At the end of the day, she was still the Oracle of Planeptune. Whether Neptune remembered the past or not, they all needed to work together well to run (and in current times, save) this land.

Yes, even if she never remembered, Histoire wouldn't abandon her or Nepgear. She just hoped they found a way out of this hole before things got worse.

* * *

She plunged the purple blade deep into the ground. If she listened close enough, she could her her bumbling around, trying to find her way in the goddess-forsaken place. However, she wouldn't let her.

 _Histoire. IF. Compa. Nepgear. I...I..._

She shook her head as regrets began to creep into her mind. After all, they were the reason why she had to do this. Yes...yeah, this would be the best for her. For them all. They didn't need her anymore. She didn't need her anymore.

As she disappeared into the darkness, she finalized her decision.

No door would be opened.

The blade would not be pulled out.

She would forget...just like she always wanted.

* * *

 **Update Date:** ?

* * *

 **AN:** Hey everyone, it's me. Welcome to the Neptunia Reboot (aka AltDimension), I hope you enjoy your stay for this story and the upcoming ones. I don't really have that much to say here. However, I have a request.

I'm in two minds about this story's update schedule. The outline to this story is done and finalized. It's been that way for a bit. But...I don't have all the chapters written yet. So, please go to my profile and vote on the update schedule you would like this to have. I will finish this story no matter what but I want to know whether you all would like me to take time to write everything first or update as soon as I get Chapter 1 done. Thanks in advance for your participation.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts/reaction in a review and have a nice day!


	2. Chapter 1

"So dizzy…" Compa said as IF's motorcycle came to a halt next to the sidewalk. The sweater wearing girl let go of the brunette's waist and stumbled onto the pavement.

IF scratched the back of her head sheepishly, "Sorry about that, Compa. You alright?"

The orange haired girl steadied herself and looked back at her, "Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks for getting me here and in one piece...barely." She said, mumbling the last part under her breath.

"Hey! I'll have you now I'm a great driver!" IF retorted, a bit of pride in her voice.

"And that's why you get so many speeding tickets?" Compa smiled as IF flinched, clearly not interested in remembering her last lecture from Histoire. The last time she got one –– or the last one she knew her girlfriend had gotten –– the Planeptune Oracle had hidden her motorcycle's keys to teach her a lesson about obeying traffic laws.

IF averted her attention down the sidewalk, "I haven't gotten a ticket in...a while." She cleared her throat and looked back at Compa, "You won't tell Histoire about today right?"

The orange haired girl laughed, "Well...you did get me here a little early…" She started, staying coy just to toy with her a bit. She had almost caused her to to see her breakfast, so it was only fair. However, Compa wasn't planning on mentioning anything to the fairy like being.

IF's motorcycle was one of her prized possessions and one of the first things she bought with the money she got from fulfilling quests. Plus, she had looked kinda glum every time she went to work on foot that week. The last thing Compa needed to do was to bandage her up if she had gotten injured because she was distracted.

"Exactly. So, as payment for said favor we won't mention today to her...at all." She said, breathing a sigh of relief as her point was made. However, the calm was soon broken by the sudden ring of one of IF's cellphones.

"Still not taking Ge-Ge's offer on an N-Gear?" Compa asked as IF pulled a green cellphone from one of the four device holders around her waist.

IF rolled her eyes, "Fighting monsters and technology don't mix well. I could throw this thing at a brick wall and it wouldn't break; so it works just fine for me." She said as she opened the phone, "Hello?"

While IF talked, Compa looked at the clinic behind her. She had just enough time to organize herself before seeing varying injuries on the different adventurers.

She frowned slightly as the memory of IF bringing Nep-Nep's unconscious body into the Basilicom entered her mind. By the time they had returned, night had begun to set since the goddess of had left rather late that day to take care of the quest.

The dragon's final attack had left a pretty nasty gash on her head with its claw. Normally, such a wound could be fixed in about thirty minutes or so with shares. But Nep-Nep had practically burned off all of her energy in her last attack, not that she had much left anyway according to Histoire.

They had thought she would've been fine after a night's rest. Clearly, they had been wrong. Amnesia wasn't something that could be cured with medicine.

A CPU without her memories was problematic. A CPU without her memories during a time where faith in her was at an all time low was even worse. Histoire would be able to cover for a while with since she could do the administrative duties, but people would start to wonder as more S class quests were left unanswered. She had even heard a few whispers in the halls of the clinic from time to time. Rumors forecasting the purple goddess's "upcoming" death; their proof being the already increasing number of unanswered quests. If they found out something had happened to her...well it could be the final nail in the coffin. And Compa really didn't want to the see Nep-Nep die.

She took a glance back at IF who seemed to be wrapping up her call. The brunette shook her head tiredly. "More quests?" Compa asked.

She nodded, "It never stops and the number of S Rank missions keeps going up. We're running out of people who can even accept those quests because more monsters are going viral more often. And now that Nep's down…" She let out another annoyed sigh.

Most high ranking Guild members were in the clinic or hospital because of various monsters attacks. Despite the love the citizens had for their goddesses, even their faith was tested after constant monster attacks for three years. Everyone had thought that things would get brighter when CPU White Heart signed a peace treaty with Nep-Nep almost a year ago, formally allying the once enemy nations. However, the sun had soon set again as the number of viral monsters in Planeptune continued to increase.

IF looked at Compa, "You...you think she'll remember…"

The brunette's green eyes seem to search in her girlfriend's own orange ones for an answer. Compa looked away, "I...I don't know. Amnesia is tricky…" She was a nurse, not a doctor. From what she knew, the illness was something of a mystery. Sometimes, people recovered and sometimes, they never did.

"I see…" IF cleared her throat, averting her attention to the ground, "Sorry, I didn't mean to...well…" She stumbled on her words, not really sure where to take the conversation anymore. Finally after a little while, she sighed, "I guess I should get going. It'll be another day of all hands on deck. Plus, if you stay out here all day, you'll be late."

"Iffy…" Compa started, before sighing. After living with the girl for the past three years, she had learned when the brunette was attempting to dodge a conversation. However, with several quests in her possible future, it was better not to tear open an emotional dam just yet, "Okay. ...Be safe." Compa said, waving.

The brunette seemed to snap out of her funk for a moment, "Sure thing, Compa. Call me if you need a ride back to the Basilicom after your shift," IF said, as she returned the gesture. She revved the engine of her bike and drove off.

The orange haired girl frowned as she watched IF leave. She really hoped that Ge-Ge finished her item soon. Maybe then things would get better, if only for a while.

* * *

Waking up with a stiff neck was not the idle way of greeting the morning.

Nepgear lifted her head up slowly from the desk and rubbed said area. At least she hadn't been drooling. Her eyes adjusted quickly to the room's low level light. She could've sworn she had the main lights on. Then again, she didn't even remember falling asleep last night either. As she stretched, she felt a blanket shift and fall off her body and onto to the ground.

She turned, seeing the purple warm cloth now on the floor. She definitely didn't have that with her last night. Someone must've put it over her, Compa most than likely. IF didn't often come to her lab unless it was an emergency; Neptune would've just carried her to their room as Purple Heart; and Histoire...would've more than likely gotten Neptune to take her back to her room.

The lavender haired girl wore a soft smile as she picked up the blanket from the ground. As she folded it, the grin dropped as she looked at the symbol of Planeptune, a roundish N with a purple-pinkish ring around it. She placed the cloth on a side table and looked back at the various plans she had been drafting for months.

Due to the large volume of quests, the Guild and Neptune had been nearly overcome with keeping various monsters in check. Only a few years ago, the most requests citizens had placed were various fetch quests or simpler tasks. Someone had even asked them to find their pet cat at one point! Now…

Nepgear shook her head as she looked over the sheets of paper in front of her.

Her plan had been relatively simple. If she couldn't kill them, she'd drive them away. Unfortunately, figuring out which ingredients acted as the perfect repellent for the majority of problem creatures had taken significantly longer than she would have hoped. Not only that, but the most potent parts of the recipe were –– of course –– rare items and took time to harvest. The worst part was that the repellent would only temporarily drive the monsters away. It would give them a short break of a few days, week at max.

The lavender haired girl grimaced as she grabbed a few vials from the table. She was almost certain this combination would do the trick but testing it was going to take the most of what she had. Various Guild agents had already confirmed the recipe's potential power; now Nepgear just needed to make sure that the mix wouldn't blow up or do something unsightly.

However, the problem still remained that she only had barely enough material left to do her test. Should it work, she would need more in order to produce it for the other towns. But a new day brought yet another slew of requests. Neptune would be too busy to gather more ingredients.

Realistically, she could go instead, but…

" _Please...just...just listen to me…don't..."_

She shook her head before she could get lost in her own thoughts. As she came back to her senses, an awful smell caught her attention. When had she opened the vials? More specifically, when had she poured in the remainder of their contents?

As the mix began to bubble over in the beaker it was in, Nepgear's mind settled on one thought as light began appeared from the glass container.

She hit the deck.

* * *

"GYYYAAAAHHHHHH!"

"Nepu!" Neptune yelled as a scream (and boom) woke her up from her dream. What a weird space she got dumped in too. A complete dark void with nothing but a whole bunch of doors she couldn't open. If the author was trying to be mysterious, he certainly could've picked a less generic setup.

Deciding not to put any more thought on possible future plot mechanics, she jumped out of bed and headed for the sound.

It had only taken a few minutes to figure out where the scream had come from. Neptune gagged and pinched her nose as she walked closer to the source. It also helped that there was this awful smell that lead her straight to it. The door had been swung wide open and hovering in front of it was Histoire. The small fairy like being was pinching her nose and attempting not to breathe the noxious fumes that were coming out of the room.

"Nepgear, are you alright?" She asked, in a nasally voice.

A few more coughs were heard before a purple haired girl emerged from the smoking room. Like Neptune, she had lavender hair (though hers was much longer, going to the middle of her back unlike Neptune's that stopped at shoulder length) and purple eyes. In place of Neptune's white hoodie and blue striped knee socks, Nepgear wore a slightly crumpled white uniform that went down to mid thigh and purple striped knee socks.

Histoire floated behind her and gently patted her back as the trio walked away from the room. As she gathered herself, Nepgear turned to the other two, "Sorry about that. I got a little distracted and well..."

"I suppose the repellent is in its completion stages from the smell of things," The blond haired construct asked as the purplette nodded.

"Yes, I'm just finishing the last tests. Though a smaller amount should be less...explosive. Once I do that, we can send it to the other towns and drive the monsters away for a while," Nepgear explained, a small but proud smile on her face.

Neptune cocked her head, "Wait...so you mean this scenario's already over?! But...but...I haven't done anything yet! We've barely introduced everyone! What the heck, author?!" She yelled to no one in particular.

Silence entered the room and took a front row seat on the couch while eating a large popcorn.

"Uh...are you okay, sis?" Nepgear asked, confused by Neptune's actions.

' _Wait...sis? Oh...right.'_ Neptune's eyes darted to Histoire's and the Oracle sighed.

"Nepgear, there's...something I need to discuss with you." She started as the now worried eyes of the taller girl met hers, "Yesterday, Neptune was injured by a Viral Ancient Dragon." She paused, taking a breath, "More than likely, due to her low shares, the damage she took yesterday seems to have given her amnesia. She...she doesn't remember anything about her time as CPU. ...Or any of us."

Histoire turned to the shorter purplette, "Neptune, this is Nepgear, the CPU Candidate of Planeptune and your younger sister."

The taller sister looked between her and Histoire, as if waiting for a punch line. When she didn't get one, she turned her back to the smaller girl, "You...you don't know me?"

"Sorry, Nepgear. But if Histy didn't tell me about ya last night, I wouldn't even know your name," Neptune said plainly. Realizing how bad that sounded, she quickly tried to recover the conversation, "But hey, it's not like I'll forget forever. After all, just imagine how complicated that would be if I never remembered anything for the whole story!"

Despite the wide friendly smile on her face, she was mentally freaking out. Not only had she forgotten her sister, she had forgotten her _younger_ sister. Being the amazing protagonist she was, Nepgear probably looked up to her a lot. ...Either that, or maybe she was a terrible older sister who treated her junior like trash. It wasn't like she had any recollection to prove any of her theories.

Nepgear looked at her. Her eyes confused Neptune even more so that how she already felt. Unlike IF's and Compa's, that were more clear, Nepgear's seemed to be conflicted and thus making it hard to get a read.

Eventually, she broke contact and turned back to Histoire, "We're out of materials. I'll need more to finish the tests and start making more." She said, her voice surprisingly even.

"Oh...I see." Histoire frowned, "I suppose we will have to put in a request to the Guild considering our...current options."

...And now Neptune was really freaking out. Why were they just skipping over this totally nonchalant reaction?! Was their relationship that bad that Nepgear didn't care that Neptune didn't remember her? There had to be a way she could find out! Or at least start making an improvement in this apparent Level -1 Lily Rank relationship!

"Hey! Why don't Nepgear and me go get the materials? It can't be that hard." Neptune said, an idea suddenly forming. Due to her head being turned in a different direction, she failed to see Nepgear flinch. "Yeah. We go complete the quest, finish this repellent, and then end this chapter with our victory in the sunset!"

Histoire facepalmed as she shook her head, "Neptune, I do not think it is wise for you to go back out into the dungeons so soon. You may have healed from any physical damage, but we do not know the extent of your amnesia. It is possible that you still remember how to fight due to muscle memory, but we don't need to risk having you or Nepgear harmed again.

"Come on, Histy. Sure, I may be a level 1 newbie right now, but Nepgear's totally ready for a battle right? I can just hang back and pick off the little guys and she can take on the big stuff." Neptune reasoned. It was possible the Nepgear wasn't talking because Histoire was around. If they took a quest, they could get out of the Basilicom and maybe then she could get some info.

"I…" Histoire cleared her throat and seemed to be avoiding the taller purplette's eyes, "I do not doubt Nepgear's ability. I am merely worried that sending both of you out there is a large risk we do not need to take. Thankfully, we didn't lose any shares last night, but both of you still have extremely low amounts. The last thing we need right now is the worst outcome, especially when that event is entirely preventable."

Neptune pouted. She had a feeling that there was something else to that last statement, "Histy, you said last night that the Guild is already stretched thin. If we can just do this fetch quest, we won't have to bother them."

"Need I remind you that not enlisting the Guild's help was possibly a large reason for our current predicament." Histoire huffed, beginning to get annoyed.

"But...but!" Neptune started, only to be cut off by Histoire's glare. The girl sighed, feeling her hope fade away. Maybe this was for the better. She was just going to have to find another way to either remember or get someone to talk.

"Maybe…" Neptune's head spun to see Nepgear's, "That's not a bad idea. Most of the items are in far away dungeons, so the Guild can handle those. But the Metal Goo item is close by and all the S class monsters in that dungeon stay in the back while the item spawns in the middle part."

"Nepgear…" Histoire said, seemingly stunned. The blonde haired girl seemed...conflicted. Though this was different to Nepgear's expression. Histoire's seemed to be much more...emotional?

After a few moments she sighed, "Please, both of you...don't bite off more than you can chew. Go there, get as much of the item as you can, and get out." She shook her head, "I would accompany you, but someone does need to stay to make sure things are still in order."

The two lavender haired girls nodded. Neptune flashed Nepgear a smirk, "Welcome to the party, Nepgear!"

* * *

Neptune took it back. This was officially the worst idea she had come up with in the past twenty four hours.

They weren't doing anything! Well, to be more exact, Neptune hadn't been able to get much out of her in terms of their relationship. And that was just doing _so_ much good for her psyche at the moment. She had tried all the tips outta the –– unofficial and nonexistent –– _Amnesiac's Guide for Talking to Forgotten Sisters_ and Nepgear hadn't even budged.

She raised her katana and struck down the Delinquent Cat. The small bipedal cat monster growled –– almost adorably so –– as it disappeared in a flurry of pixels. Luckily, Histoire's assumption had been right and Neptune's body moved without thought, striking down opponent after opponent with the help of Nepgear.

The shorter purplette sighed as she parked herself on the soft grass in the Ortan Fields. According to Nepgear, the item they were looking for randomly spawned in this area. So, of course, that involved playing a waiting game and fighting the monsters that keep on reviving themselves to attack them.

Apparently, Gamindustri's creatures were in tune with some cosmic force within the dungeons that allowed them to come back from the grave. Hence why they disappeared into pixels when they died. At least, that's what some Loweean researchers had said. According to them, this process would hiccup every time a monster was reborn. This made little blue item boxes appear with various goodies in it whenever one was recreated.

And that was what they were waiting on. The item box could produce many things: weapons, maps for deeper sections of the dungeon, or just parts of monsters which could be used as ingredients for other stuff. However it had a blasted wait time of ten minutes every time it was used and was completely random.

"GAAAAHHHH! I'm gonna kill *****501 for putting game mechanics in a nepping story! Who asked for this?! No one! No one I tell you!" Neptune groaned, screaming out into the heavens.

Nepgear rose an eyebrow, "Uh...Neptune, who's *****501?" She said, actually sounding concerned for the lavender haired girl.

"Huh? Why'd you say the asterisks? His name is ***** ...Wait a second. Oh great! Now he's censoring me for comedic effect! When I find a way out of this story, I'll show you what for!" She yelled, before realizing Nepgear's very confused face, "Heh...uh...there's a guy who's sorta... You know...I'm just going to stop here. Clearly you're not in the loop."

Neptune wasn't sure why she was the only one aware of the writer in this fictional space, but it was clearly not something that was normal in this dimension. She looked glumly at the ground, "How much longer before this item spawns? We've been here for almost two hours."

"I'm not quite sure. It has a 20% chance of appearing so I figured we should've seen it by now." Nepgear said, as she opened up her N-Gear and pressed a few buttons on the display.

The shorter lavender haired girl flopped onto her back, "I would send a formal complaint to the author, but I won't bother. Clearly he's doing his own thing."

"Right...are you sure you're okay?" Nepgear asked, more than likely thinking her sister was in some need of a psychological help.

"Yeah, just annoyed. Don't worry, I won't break the 4th wall anymore." _At least, not out loud_ , she thought. Her sword disappeared in a flurry of pixels as she sat up. The waiting wasn't the only thing she was annoyed by. She had thought Histy's lecture would've helped with understanding the world, but even with that she was still missing gaps. That fact alone had been eating at her since meeting Nepgear. Just who was she before all of this?

She sighed. After this morning she had been unsure on how to ask this, but dancing around the subject wasn't getting her anywhere, "Hey Nepgear, question for ya."

Nepgear blinked. The girl had taken a seat a few feet away from the other, "Yes?"

"Was I a good sister?" She asked. There she said it.

"You…" Nepgear looked to the side, breaking contact. Several flags were being raised in Neptune's mind, "You did the best you could."

Neptune internally screamed, ' _That's not a confirmation of anything!'_ What did she do or not do? And why was Nepgear being so tight lipped about it? The hell was the author doing with this plot?!

A strange noise sounded, signaling the creation of the item box. Nepgear got up from her place on the ground and walked over to it, "Hey, it's the Metal Goo! And a lot of it too. I think we should have all we need with this." She said, as she dumped the items into her inventory space.

While it disappeared into pixels, Neptune face planted on the ground...and externally screamed.

As she picked herself up from the ground, Nepgear walked past her and stopped, "Nep...sis." She turned around and looked Neptune in her eyes, "You...you weren't a bad sister. You loved me and took care of me. Just like you do for everyone. But, I...I think you were just scared."

Neptune raised an eyebrow. At least she was getting somewhere now, "Scared? Of what?"

Nepgear shook her head, "Bad memories…"

"...That's...ominous." Neptune remarked, her nerves not exactly calmed by that statement. Well, at least she wasn't a horrible sister.

"I suppose it was kinda scary the way I phrased that," Nepgear said. She looked down at the ground for a few moments. After a minute, she quickly bowed, "I...I'm sorry! I didn't mean to ignore you! It's just that…" She trailed off.

"Bad memories?" Neptune asked, guessing a trend.

"Yeah…" she said, straightening, "I...can we restart?"

It wasn't a complete answer, but it was a start. Nepgear clearly wasn't interested in living in the past, at least for now.

Neptune smiled brightly, "Sure thing, Nepgear." She could find her answers later. From the sound of things, their relationship was stable but rocky. Now, she had a chance to get rid of the rocks. She extended a hand, "Hiya! I'm Neptune, the protagonist of protagonists, and more importantly, your awesome older sister!"

She still wanted to fill in the gaps of her memory, but for now making new moments was just as fulfilling.

Nepgear shook her hand, "Hi, I'm Nepgear. It's nice to meet you, sis."

"Come on, let's get outta here. I need a nap after all this fighting." Neptune said, leading the way.

Nepgear smiled, following beside her.

* * *

"How soon before we can share the repellent with the other towns?" Histoire asked, as she floated next to Nepgear.

Nepgear put in the last drop from the vial. The combination made a tiny _poof_ , releasing a tiny bit of foul smelling gas into the air. Luckily, unlike this morning, the vomit inducing scent quickly dissipated. She capped the metallic small orb, "We can have the Guild distribute these things by tomorrow morning if I work through the night. The towns should already have the repellent launcher."

Histoire nodded. If it was one thing Nepgear was good at, it was building machines. Though her recent ventures in some of these item creation recipies had only started after Neptune and her had to ban the Nepgeardam from being made. To this day, the blonde haired being was unsure why the CPU Candidate had thought that a massive fighting robot was a good idea.

"Hopefully this will put the residents at ease for a while and we'll be able to boost our shares once again. I'm certain the Guild will enjoy this respite as well. Excellent work, Nepgear," Histoire praised.

A light blush appeared on Nepgear's face, "Oh, this wasn't…"

"Nepgear, just take the compliment." Histoire mentioned, preferring to not play the bashful game, "So, I noticed that you were on better terms with Neptune when you both came in. I won't ask about your reasoning for your stoic behavior this morning." She said, already having a pretty good idea why the lavender haired girl had acted in such a manner.

Once they had come back, Neptune had retired to her temporary room to rest and the Guild had sent someone to deliver the items Histoire had requested.

Nepgear paused as she put the monster repellent ball on the table, "Do...do you think she'll go back to the way she was if she remembers?"

Histoire gave a sigh, "I do not know. I suppose we will just have to wait and see. There is still the possibility that she could never remember." Looking at the amount of repellent orbs she had to make, the blonde haired being headed for the door of Nepgear's workshop, "Well, I will get out of your hair for tonight. The sooner you finish, the sooner you can rest."

"Alright then, good night Histoire." Nepgear said.

"You as well, Nepgear."

As she left, Histoire looked out of the window at the city around the Basilicom. She let out a breath, hoping it would be enough to release the sense of dread that was building inside of her. Would it really be better if she remembered? She distinctly remembered several occasions that the Planeptune Goddess had wanted to forget. In some way, one could say that she got what she wished for in that regard. But how long could they hang out without her memories. She did need to resume her role soon and retraining her would take quite some time.

The blonde haired being shook her head. It would be better to not spend all of her energy trying to process the endless results. For now, things were looking up. They would just need to deal with the trials as they come.

She looked outside at the brightly lit city for a brief moment before floating towards her room for the night.

* * *

"Huh...no more shares? Guess the last loyal ones are just that stubborn. Well, no use sticking around this place then. ...It's been a while since I checked on her. I wonder how Lowee is doing?"

* * *

 **AN:** Thanks so much for the follows, favs, and reviews! I honestly wasn't expecting that response for only having the prologue out. Anyway, I hope this chapter makes up for the wait. I wanted to have it out sooner, but I just had my college graduation recently so I was tied up for a while.

Results of poll are in. This story's update schedule will be as I create the chapters. So, expect the next chapter in June. Hopefully it won't take another whole month to get it out. I post progress reports to my Twitter, so if you really want to know or have an idea of how the plot is coming along (or even just to talk), you can find the link in my FFN profile.

Don't forget to leave your thoughts and reactions in the review box and have a great day!


	3. Chapter 2

For Neptune, the remainder of the week had confirmed a theory she had as soon as she saw the first stack of paperwork on her desk: government was hard when you didn't know what the hell you were doing.

Since being fired at all settlements about five days ago, Nepgear's repellent had forced the monsters to go into hiding and given the residents a much needed break. Even Neptune had had some time to just sit back and get to know everyone a little better –– in addition to learning the horrors of tackling paperwork. Unfortunately, the intermittent peace was not all as spectacular as they had hoped.

Planeptune shares had risen drastically, returning to 10% at the conclusion of the week. Neptune and Nepgear had enjoyed the boost, shaking off some of their tiredness that had stockpiled over the years. However, according to Histoire, the rise had been cut short when the Basilicom had made the announcement that the country was temporarily safe.

Neptune, or rather Purple Heart, had not been the one to tell her people that they had been given a break. Rather it had been Nepgear in her goddess form (CPU Purple Sister) who had broken the news. While many were happy to see their CPU Candidate, people couldn't help but wonder why their CPU had not been standing alongside of her.

The purplette sighed as she continued walking down the sidewalk. It was the middle of the day so the sun was high up in the sky, but luckily it wasn't the hot season yet. Not many people walked the streets, more than likely due to folks just wanting to enjoy the time they had before the repellent wore off. Some of the ingredients were much rarer and harder to get than the Metal Goo so it wasn't like they could just fire off another one anytime soon.

"You okay Nep-Nep?" Compa asked, hearing the small girl sigh. They were running low on food and rather than forcing one of the off duty Basilicom workers do it (like the Guild members, they too were allowed to enjoy the break), Neptune and Compa had decided to go and stock up themselves. Plus, Compa was the cook for the whole crew so she knew what ingredients she wanted anyway.

Neptune glanced at her and put on her best smile, "Yeah, perfectly fine. Just thinking about stuff." She didn't want to worry the young nurse with her inner ramblings (or scare her with the curses she was making towards the author for making things so unnecessary complicated).

Just before they were going to make the announcement, they all learned yet another thing had been lost. Neptune could no longer access her Hard Drive Divinity, or known better as HDD. Her actual CPU form had also been forgotten in her amnesiac state. It was like a switch Neptune could feel in her head but had no idea how to flip it. Whenever she tried, she felt like there was something missing or something blocking her from turning it on. Again, the author doing even more things to make this journey easy for her.

"Okay…" Compa said, not sounding convinced at all, but nevertheless dropping the subject.

The purplette looked down on the ground. Compa was too nice. Even now when she could just ask Neptune to come straight out with it, she respected her enough to leave her be. Part of her wondered if she was always like that. She hoped so. There weren't enough nice people in her country.

She couldn't help but frown as they took a left and continued to the store. Despite their apparent love for her, the lack of seeing her was once again endangering her shares. The people needed to see her in order to believe that everything was alright. That's why their boost had been cut short. They were thankful that their homes were safe for a little while, but they needed to physically know that their goddess wasn't lying in bed hacking up a lung in some weak pile of limbs.

Neptune gritted her teeth, her frustration building. Why couldn't they just see that she was trying her best? It wasn't like she wanted to forget how to use her CPU form. It wasn't like she wanted to lose her memories! It wasn't like she had asked for any of this! Hell, if they wanted to point a finger at someone it should be at the author. After all, he had the most control of this scenario.

...Then again, most people didn't realize the author was even a nepping existence.

Neptune ran a hand through her hair, irritatedly. Maybe it was a good thing that she was the only one aware of the author. Anyone else might've gone crazy by now, but not this protagonist! Oh no, she would make it through this story and show the author what's for! She wasn't just any protagonist, she was the MAIN protagonist!

"Nep-Nep….you're making funny faces…." Compa said, sounding slightly confused and slightly worried.

Neptune quickly shifted gears and scratched behind her head, trying to display some normalcy, "Oh...sorry. Don't mind me. Just thinking…" she said, hoping that Compa wouldn't mind her.

Compa shook her head, "You sure you don't want to talk about it? I'm not a therapist, but I'm pretty good at listening."

"Nah, I think I'll be fine for now. Thanks anyway," Neptune said. It was nice to have a person like her around. And thinking of her presence..., "Though there is something that's been bugging me."

"What's up?" Compa asked.

"How come you and IF live in Basilicom? I mean, I like having you two around but it's kinda weird. Histy's the Oracle. Nepgear and I are the goddesses. But you guys are um…." She trailed off, not sure how to get touch on this conversation. It had just occurred to her, that she had yet to –– onscreen or offscreen –– had a chance to talk to IF or Compa for a long period of time. Compa still had to go to work since she was a nurse and IF had been sleeping in a lot to make up for the lack of due to her job.

"Not part of the politics?" Compa asked, filling in the gap.

Neptune looked sheepishly at the ground, "Yeah...that…" She didn't want to downright insult the girl, but it didn't seem right. Everyone else in the Basilicom went home at around 6 each day minus a few who worked security. IF was a Guild member and Compa was a nurse. Their jobs descriptions didn't exactly match the detail.

The orange haired girl smiled, "Well...we live there because of you, Nep-Nep. I guess to make a long story short, you invited us to live at the Basilicom temporarily in the beginning but after a while, you told us we could stay till whenever we liked."

"Hey wait! Don't TL;DR me! I've got no memories, remember?! I don't know about this backstory! The readers don't know about this backstory! We must know all of the details, woman!" She nearly teleported in front of the orange haired girl, "Please, Compa. Glorious pudding maker, bestow to me the secrets of my past."

The young nurse stared at the purplette in front of her before starting to laugh, "You're funny Nep-Nep. But,..." She gestured to the right of her. They had reached the grocery store, "...I can tell you later if you'd like." She said, apologetically.

Neptune made a heavy sigh as she took Compa's hand and entered the building as the doors swooshed open, "Alright, but I wanna hear it!"

 _'Plot blocked again?! Curse you, *****501! Quit pulling plot convenience out of your nep and actually fill in the damn blanks for once!'_ Neptune thought as they started looking for the various items on Compa's list, _'Fine. Be that way. I'll find out my answers soon enough! You can't stop me forever!'_

* * *

"Still nothing…" Histoire sighed as she shook her head. Her blue eyes turned back to normal as they lost the jagged lines one normally saw on a normal heart monitor reading. She had been using most of her power to complete a quick search of her records in three hours.

With Neptune and Nepgear able to relax for a few days, they were also free to pick up some of the various governmental documents that needed to be reviewed –– although it was mostly Nepgear reading them, Histoire explaining the background, and Neptune signing. After a...few attempts to reteach the goddess her signature, the two settled on coming up with some story to explain the differences to anyone who bothered to examine the papers later.

In between this work, Histoire had been searching her records to see if any other CPU had ever suffered a case of amnesia. Unfortunately, her creator had quite the sense of humor. Despite being able to record vast amounts of information, she could only search through her records in time intervals of three (seconds, minutes, hours, etc). Not only that, but her processing speed couldn't be upgraded –– she had tried several times.

The blonde fairy-like being sighed as she jumped off of her book and walked down the corridor, the floating item following. Using her legs wasn't something she did very often. Considering her size, it took her longer to get to places than anyone else if she did not use her tome for flight.

However, she wasn't in any rush to get to anywhere at the moment. She closed her eyes, knowing that she wouldn't run into anyone.

How many years had she been observing and advising the Planeptune CPUs? As she thought, her head began to pound. There had been Uranus, the first CPU of Planeptune, who had a reign of twenty following her was…

Histoire winced as the pounding suddenly worsened.

Following Uranus was...Neptune who was still ongoing after eighteen. But...that wasn't right? Was it? She shook her head. Trying to refocus her mind away from the thought. Maybe she should do a memory scan at some point. The now receding headache was anything but normal. But why would trying to remember past CPUs cause this reaction?

Her eyes opened at the thought. How ironic. She bit back the chance to laugh at the perfect case.

Neptune's reign had been an...interesting eighteen years. Despite the hardships within the most recent three, Histoire had hoped for several more to come. The blonde haired being had taken up title of Oracle a few months into Uranus's, also known as CPU Blue Heart's, reign. Her knowledge of shares made her a valuable asset to the war driven goddess. Though to be fair, that era had definitely been themed: "kill or be killed". Towards the end, the fights had barely been about shares.

She shivered. Neptune and the others certainly lived in more peaceful times than in the last days of Uranus. At one point, Histoire swore that they would follow in those exact footsteps. Thankfully, they hadn't. Things weren't perfect, but at least the lands weren't trying to rip out each others' throats. Even Lowee and Planeptune were now united, a feat of compromise that Histoire never thought could've been reached between such enemies.

And now…

Histoire found herself in the same hallway she had a few evenings ago. From it, she had an excellent view of the capital city of Planeptune. Evening was coming in and the sun was beginning to set. The lights around the city began to activate, preparing to brighten the walkways.

What age would Neptune bring if she never got her memories? A new era? Or perhaps would it signal the true end for her and her sister?

"I don't age and yet I already feel too old for this…" She murmured.

It was time to face the facts.

She had no idea what to do in this situation. No CPU to her knowledge had ever faced such a predicament. She didn't even know a person with this unfortunate event.

It was clear that this Neptune was...less serious that the Neptune she had known. Sure, she would get the job done at the end of the day and her commitment wasn't the issue; she was just...distracted? Perhaps, that was to be expected from someone trying to recall their past.

However, it wasn't all disastrous. Histoire could barely remember a time when the two sister goddesses were both genuinely smiling in the same vicinity of the other. With this Neptune, things were certainly brighter than they had been.

She turned her back to the window before summoning her book and climbing onto it. _'I...Is it wrong for me to think that it might be better this way?'_ She wondered as she ascended. Next to her, her N-Gear rang.

"Hello?" Histoire asked as she picked up the purple oval device that rested on the page and activated the video phone feature.

"Hello Histoire, I hope I haven't disturbed you," a voice said. The image rendered to show a woman with blue hair wearing scholarly looking red robes.

"Mina, I wasn't expecting you to call. Normally you use the Basilicom's phone to reach me," Histoire said, surprised to see the Loweean Oracle.

Mina darted her eyes away, looking slightly guilty, "Well, I wanted to talk to you without anyone in the Basilicom overhearing."

Histoire raised an eyebrow. What could be so serious that she didn't want to be overheard by the staff, "Including Blanc or the twins?"

"Especially those three. I hear your shares have risen for a little while?" Mina asked.

Histoire blinked. She hadn't expected word to be traveling so fast, "Yes, though I would've like them to be a bit higher. Nepgear's monster repellent worked quite well, though its effects are wearing off. The monsters will return more than likely a little after the start of next week."

"I see. Well, for your sake I hope they didn't stray too far away from your country's territory." The blue haired woman mentioned.

The blonde haired being froze.

They had been so wrapped up in getting the monsters out, they had forgotten to consider where they would go. Lowee, to the northeast, and Lastation, to the east, were land bordering nations to Planeptune, with Leanbox in the ocean towards the southeast. If the monsters strayed too far out, they might take up refuge in Lowee and/or Lastation. One scenario would've harmed an ally and the other….well it could have very well have been taken as a declaration of war.

Mina chuckled after seeing Histoire pale, "Don't worry about us. We haven't seen a rise in monster quests here. The cold keeps most of your viral creatures away. Though some have appeared here as well over the years, but not nearly as frequently. I think you'll be happy to know that our network has heard anything about Lastation. So, let's assume no news is good news."

"My sincerest apologies." Histoire bowed her head. The Oracle of Lowee, Mina Nishizawa, had always been a polite, well mannered person. However, the blond haired being knew how callous it would sound to say, "We forgot to consider you in our plan to save our goddesses despite our alliance."

"As I said, there has been no harm done. So plumber over the green pipe." She said. Her face turned solemn, "However, I have called you to discuss something on a similar topic." She took a breath, "I would like to request that Neptune come to Lowee. One of the Anti-CPU factions seems to have taken up a stronghold here and they're causing a larger ruckus than we imagined."

Histoire's face became serious. Anti-CPU factions were something every nation had to deal with if the rumors she heard were correct. Most of the times, these groups were small and ignorable. Occasionally, several leaders and followers were taken to jail after some terrorist attack to usurp the reigning CPU. However, they were very rarely a serious threat. Many people assumed their chatter to be heresy or at the least, babble.

The blue haired woman sighed and shook her head, "This Overlord Momus figmentation has been a thorn in Lowee's side even before Blanc. However, a group of thugs have recently taken up the helm of pleading its case. Every time we arrest some, more show up. They've even threatened and harmed several of our followers into renouncing their faith in Blanc. And well, let's just say things haven't been going well."

Histoire nodded. Lowee had been one of the most powerful countries in its time, controlling almost 50% of the worldwide shares at one point. The people there were hardy in their faith to their CPU –– though she liked to believe that they were tied or or barely seconded in this regard. While the severe power distortion was more even between the four countries (minusing the current Planeptune drop), Lowee still stood as a proud legacy nation. If Mina was asking for help, their shares had to be pretty low.

"Blanc is too proud to ask, but we can see it in her face. She, Rom, and Ram are in trouble. I know your situation may be changing soon, however I believe that with two CPUs this group may at least stop their attacks for a moment and allow us to get our bearings." Mina requested.

"I understand. I…" She caught herself. What help could Neptune be at this rate? She couldn't even access her HDD Form anymore! Should the two go into battle, they would be relying only on White Heart's strength and the combined effect would be gone!

Histoire bit her lip. Having meet Blanc a few times, she knew how stubborn the brunette goddess could be. Mina wasn't risking her job of course –– Blanc would be quite foolish for firing her for such a thing –– but the blonde haired being could understand why the blue haired woman went to such lengths to contact her.

She took a breath, "I will ask Neptune about it and have an answer for you tonight."

Mina smiled, "Thank you. I look forward to hearing from you." She said as she ended the call.

Histoire put the N-Gear down on the book.

Just what kind of age would this Neptune bring indeed.

* * *

This was Compa's fault. This was entirely Compa's fault. Granted she was the one who agreed to it. She was the one who picked dare against the complete enigma which was amnesiac Neptune. She was the one who underestimated the lavender haired girl's ability. However, despite all of her shortcomings...it was still all Compa's fault.

Earlier when Compa and Neptune had returned, the orange haired nurse decided that everyone should play a few rounds of truth or dare. Neptune had happily agreed, saying something about the boundless amounts of fun and forbidden info she could gather (while cackling in some strange kind of villainy that IF had only seen in cartoons). Nepgear had been hesitant, especially after her sister's display, but had been convinced, much like IF, by the sweet eyes of Compa. Her one year of dating and many years of friendship gave her no edge against her orange orbs.

And now –– because of her weakness –– here she stood in the middle of the living room wearing some penguin costume that she could've sworn she burned shortly after she took it off mid fall.

While Lowee was known for its festivities, Planeptune occasionally threw a bash. Last year, amidst all the confusion, Neptune had thought it was a good idea to ease everyone's spirits by making a night full of costumes and candy. IF had been busy running around with quests that she had completely forgotten and well...the outfit had been all the store had left. Since many were coming to the Basilicom area that night, IF had swallowed her pride for but a few hours. And then at the end of the festivities, she walked out to the edge of town with twitching eyes and promptly burned the evil penguin outfit.

She looked down at her hand–-flippers, in disbelief. She didn't even remember putting this on her after it was presented to her. What unholy magic had brought this accursed thing back to her? Was she destined to have this outfit follow her until the end of time? _Why Neptune?! Why have you cursed me?! I thought we were friends!? Why have I been forsaken! Curse this outfit!_

The giggles in the room snapped her out of her stupor.

...She had actually gotten pretty far gone there. Everyone knew CPUs didn't curse people. After all, since they required faith, having everyone being completely afraid of you would almost certainly cause an uprising.

Neptune broke the chain of barely suppressed silence, "You..you...you should've seen your face! You were all like _'Why? Why? WHY?!'_ " She said snickering, covering her eyes with her arm dramatically as if she were in a play.

Nepgear turned away, at least having the decency to not look IF in the eye as she tried to suppress the giggles.

Compa...actually wasn't laughing. Instead she was looking at Neptune and Nepgear. As IF followed her eyes to the CPU sisters, a thought occurred to her. Since she and Compa had lived here, the relationship between Neptune and Nepgear had been...tense? It was obvious that they cared for each other but the two had seemed distant on many occasions. This was probably the first time she had both seen them this happy while being in close proximity of the other.

"Hey Nepgear, it's your turn next. Complete the cycle and go for Compa! I bet she's got some great reactions to something! You know more than I do at this point, so you must know a weak point." Neptune said excitedly, trying to egg on her sister during her turn.

IF blanked. Oh...it hadn't been the costume that caused them to laugh, rather her –– overdramatic –– reaction towards the outfit that had set things off. The brunette took another glance at Compa, who was sending an apologetic look her way.

IF's eyes narrowed.

Neptune didn't know about the costume. Nepgear and Histoire would have never bought it again. Which left only one person as the suspect for the return of the penguin suit. Come to think of it, the two had seen the outfit on display while coming back home from work about two weeks back. Compa had giggled at her reaction back then as well.

IF took a look back at the sisters. IF wasn't sure why Compa had suddenly bought the outfit, but it must've been related to the goddesses. Was something up with Nep? The brunette would have to ask her later. At least if she was going to be used for good, let her know.

The purplettes were still chatting about Nepgear's move.

IF grinned slyly as she took another glance at Compa, "If you two need help, I might know a thing or two," she said, grabbing mainly Neptune's attention.

"Iffy?!" Compa said, sounding betrayed.

"Come 'er, Gear. I've got a couple of ideas for ya," She said, waving the taller CPU over to her.

"Neptune? Nepgear? Where are you two? There is something I need to…" Histoire slowed as she floated into the living room and took in the scene, "...speak to you about." She looked at IF, then to the others, and back to the brunette, "I thought you had burned that costume. I did not know you were so fond of it. If you like it so much, please don't feel the need to cover it up."

IF blushed, looking down and grumbled incoherently. On second thought, Compa could live for another day.

She needed to talk another walk to the edge of town.

* * *

Neptune, Nepgear, and Histoire had moved to CPU's office to talk. The news of Lowee's downward spiral was not something that Nepgear had been wanting to hear, especially after that moment.

It had been weird to hang out with her sister and stranger at the same time. But despite the newness, she actually loved spending time with her. Before Neptune lost her memories, there had been this...block between them.

Whenever Neptune detected any kind of danger around Nepgear, she would always disappear. Not physically, but there was a noticeable shift in her personality. Even playing fighting games with her would trigger it. Now, Neptune didn't seem to have any of those blocks. She was freer than she had been in a while.

Nepgear looked back at Histoire as the Oracle finished her thought, "So...with that I leave the decision to you, Neptune."

The smaller CPU looked thoughtfully in her folded hands in her lap. The new her wasn't exactly random, but she certainly didn't like dealing with a lot of political happenings. Mainly because she couldn't remember the circumstance behind it and found them confusing now.

Neptune looked back up, "Well we can't just leave Blanc to fight for herself! Let's go to Lowee!"

Histoire smiled, "I figured you'd say something like that. It's good to see that side of you hasn't been forgotten. However, I suggest that you take Compa with you. Normally you would be fine by yourself, however as your HDD form is locked, it would be good to have someone close with you. With the monsters returning soon, it is important to keep a CPU stationed here and IF will be busy as well with quests as the number rises." The blonde haired being said, sending a glance over to Nepgear.

The CPU Candidate sighed internally. She knew Histoire was right, but that still didn't mean she didn't want to go.

After the treaty was in place, Nepgear had made occasional trips over to the snowy country when Neptune had visited. She had actually become fast friends with that nation's CPU Candidates, Rom and Ram. While they had been enemies once, Rom's gentler nature helped keep the three from fighting.

"Alright, I'll go ask her." Neptune said as she took off to get her party member.

Histoire sighed.

"Are you alright, Histoire?" Nepgear asked.

The blonde haired being closed her eyes, "Just a passing thought. I'll be fine." She opened them again, "I'm sorry that you couldn't accompany her this time around. However, this arrangement will be for the best."

The purplette nodded, "I know…"

 _'It doesn't mean I can't wish it was me thought.'_

* * *

She was being chased through the endless darkness of still air. Her feet pushed against the ground hard as she attempted to flee her captor. She knew she shouldn't have tried to view that memory. However, she just couldn't help herself after hearing Compa mention it.

She bit her lip. Even back then her reasoning had been off. She had only accepted them for such selfish reasons. Keeping them close was the only way to save them.

Or was it the way she could save herself?

"Wait!"

She shook her head. What the hell was she doing? She couldn't get caught up now! The whole point was for her to never be found. She wouldn't be found. She wanted to be forgotten! She wanted to be lost in a sea of darkness and never recovered.

She had seen her in the world.

She how she received it.

She liked it.

Sure she was confused now, but she would get over it right?

"Wait means stop!"

She didn't want to infect her with the trials of old. That was why she ran. She didn't need her. She just needed them. She needed the people who she had left behind. The people whose help she could never accept.

She didn't deserve it.

She took another breath.

She would be trapped in this dreamscape until the end of time. And every time...

She'd outrun her. She would survive until she woke.

She wouldn't let her be harmed again.

Not by anyone.

Not by her.

A single tear flew off her face as she sprinted.

 _'I'm sorry.'_

* * *

 **AN:** Whoo, and this chapter is out before the end of June. Also, there's a reference in this chapter to a pretty awesome movie. The hint is switch out "Wait" for "Freeze". Anyway, next chapter up is Lowee, so I'll try to have that one out for ya in a few weeks.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great day/night.


	4. Announcement

I'm sorry if I've disappointed any of you and I thank you for following this story for the short time it was here. However, I don't think it is fair to myself or you all to continue down this trail. With that I'm announcing the discontinuation of this story and this series as a whole. The reason for this is not a technical one, but rather personal.

Thank you all for your time and have a great day.

\- Ghost 501


	5. ReBirth Update?

Hey all. Been a while.

So, I thought I would give you all what I should be the last update to AltDimension that isn't an announcement saying AltDimension is ready for your viewing pleasure.

Although I've said it before, I wanted to say sorry again for abruptly halting any and all progress on this story to begin with. It wasn't my intention, however I believe it was necessary for me since I really needed to work through some stuff. Not going to get into here, but I would just like to say thanks for your patience. I really do appreciate it.

So updates, updates...

A few changes have been made to AltDimension as a whole:

1) It's no longer a series. Sorry to all, but especially after the break from it, I don't have much interest in a lot of the stuff I wrote down for it originally.

2) When it returns, it's being called _AltDimension Re;Birth_. I had to rewrite the whole outline to this story so I thought the change was fitting.

3) The cast list has been shortened due to the fact that the scale of AltDimension has been shrunken down from what it was. Who was cut, I'll leave in the dark. You'll have to wait for the release date for that one. XD

4) When I post AltDimension Re;Birth, it will be completed. In case something like this ever happens (please no...) the story will be finalized so that your experience will not be interrupted. Unless I lose internet access...then there'll be nothing I can do about that.

Things that haven't changed from AltDimension

1) Tone. I recognize that AltDimension is different from the normal HyperDimension plot line (I called it _Alt_ Dimension for a reason XD), however that's just my style. So, for everyone who enjoyed the more serious tone for a Neptunia story, you'll still find it here.

2) Reboot premise. This hasn't changed so for you'll see I'll "introduce" characters you already know...we'll that's just it. I will kindly ask you to leave all your knowledge of Neptunia in a box next to you. I may leave an inside joke here or there which is why I tell you to put the box next to you and not leave it in another room where you aren't reading this story. XD

So I believe that'll be it.

When AltDimension Re;Birth is completed, I will give this story one last update to tell you about it (or you can follow my profile as that will be the next story I put out). Also, to make up for the lost time, I'll post four chapters of it (The "three" from AltDimension + my normal 1/2 for opening night). I'll probably post the release date (whenever I get to the stage that I have one ready) to my Twitter. Aiming for somewhere in December but we'll see.

Thanks again for your patience. And hope to see you all soon.

\- Ghost 501


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